friends of boxley warren leaflet final draft SE changes.indd 1 changes.indd SE draft final leaflet warren boxley of friends 26/08/2014 14:08 26/08/2014 Designed by Clarity Interpretation www.clarity-consultancy.co.uk 01303 249501 01303 www.clarity-consultancy.co.uk Interpretation Clarity by Designed Kent ME5 9RU ME5 Kent Join the Friends of Boxley Warren Boxley of Friends the Join B CHATHAM Local walks Local Walderslade B Beechen Hall, Wildfell Close Wildfell Hall, Beechen Wildlife information Wildlife c/o Boxley Parish Council Parish Boxley c/o B Friends of Boxley Warren Boxley of Friends 01303 815170 01303 ( www.boxleywarren.org.uk 8 [email protected] * Contact details: Contact website at www.boxleywarren.org.uk www.boxleywarren.org.uk at website touch. For more information about Boxley Warren visit the the visit Warren Boxley about information more For find out about membership then please do get in in get do please then membership about out find has created the Boxley Warren we see today. see we Warren Boxley the created has volunteer work that takes place at Boxley Warren or or Warren Boxley at place takes that work volunteer the way that the area has been used by people that that people by used been has area the that way the If you would like to get involved in the excellent excellent the in involved get to like would you If agriculture. It is this combination of geology and and geology of combination this is It agriculture. broad-leaved woodland and more recently for for recently more and woodland broad-leaved downs. Here, the soil is clay-with-flints, suitable for for suitable clay-with-flints, is soil the Here, downs. Warren sits on the gentler dip slope of the chalk chalk the of slope dip gentler the on sits Warren and other wildlife.. The northern section of Boxley Boxley of section northern The wildlife.. other and a stunning diversity of interesting plants, insects insects plants, interesting of diversity stunning a These challenging conditions offer opportunity to to opportunity offer conditions challenging These est slopes in the county with very thin chalk soils. soils. chalk thin very with county the in slopes est of the North Downs. These are some of the steep- the of some are These Downs. North the of The majority of the site sits on the chalk scarp slope slope scarp chalk the on sits site the of majority The thinking wildlife conservation. wildlife thinking difference to the local environment. local the to difference the past as well as being an example of forward forward of example an being as well as past the public and offer the opportunity to make a a make to opportunity the offer and public of the Kent countryside that offers a glimpse into into glimpse a offers that countryside Kent the of to parts of the site that are not usually open to the the to open usually not are that site the of parts to the M20 every day. Yet it remains an unspoilt part part unspoilt an remains it Yet day. every M20 the Local Nature Reserve Nature Local and other events. Volunteer activities will take you you take will activities Volunteer events. other and less thousands of people see it from their cars on on cars their from it see people of thousands less year and the group also run some guided walks walks guided some run also group the and year Warren count- and area Maidstone the of whole the almost Regular volunteer tasks are held throughout the the throughout held are tasks volunteer Regular and across to the Low Weald. It can be seen from from seen be can It Weald. Low the to across and affords magnificent views of the Greensand Ridge Ridge Greensand the of views magnificent affords Reserve for the benefit of wildlife and people. and wildlife of benefit the for Reserve 97 hectare site is not only valuable for wildlife but but wildlife for valuable only not is site hectare 97 promote and protect Boxley Warren Local Nature Nature Local Warren Boxley protect and promote Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. This This Beauty. Natural Outstanding of Area Downs landowner and other organisations to conserve, conserve, to organisations other and landowner Boxley Boxley Boxley Warren is a very special place in the Kent Kent the in place special very a is Warren Boxley The Friends of Boxley Warren work with the the with work Warren Boxley of Friends The About Boxley Warren Boxley About Friends of Boxley Warren Boxley of Friends A special place Birds Wild flowers Boxley Warren’s place in the landscape is well You can often see buzzards circling majestically above The chalk grassland and woodland provide a home recognised. It sits within the protected Kent Downs the woodland at Boxley Warren. This is partly because for some uncommon plants. Several species of orchid Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and large parts of of the thermal currents around the steep slopes. These including bee, man, and fly orchids as well as white the site are designated as a Site of magnificent birds make their and broad-leaved helleborines can be found at Boxley Special Scientific Interest for the quality nests in inaccessible woodland Warren. Ground pine is a rare plant that survives on of the chalk grassland and woodland. and can sometimes be seen in bare patches of soil on the steeper slopes, while wild The site also carries a European designation aerial combat or being mobbed liquorice grows in the hedgerows alongside the as a Special Area of Conservation by other birds. Pilgrims Way. However, it’s not just the rarities that predominantly because of the lowland make the plant life special at Boxley. Look out for the yew woodland. Peregrine falcons are occasional flushes of colour created by cow parsley and cowslips visitors and kestrels can also in Spring and birds foot trefoil and vipers bugloss The site was declared a Local Nature be seen hovering above areas during the Summer months. The fiery autumn leaves Reserve by Maidstone Borough Council of rough grassland and scrub, make a fantastic woodland show in Autumn. in 2007 which means that the manage- seeking out ment of the site is now prescribed by a small mam- Stinking hellebore team of wildlife and landscape experts mals and who work with the landowner to ensure other prey. Ground pine that Boxley Warren remains a tranquil haven for wildlife into the future. Yew woodland A rescued landscape How we keep Boxley Adders The landscape at Boxley has changed significantly in recent years from a notorious off-road playground and Warren at its best fly-tippers paradise to the restored semi-natural Since Boxley Warren became a Local Nature Reserve, landscape that you see today. the way the site is managed has been decided by a team of experts including the landowner, Natural Other wildlife Access to the site for motorised vehicles has been England, Maidstone Borough Council, Boxley Parish Boxley is also host to a range of other wildlife including restricted and fly-tipping has been made more Council, Friends of Boxley Warren and the Mid Kent foxes, dormice, reptiles, butterflies, bats and of course difficult. As a consequence, Downs Countryside Partnership. the box trees from which it most likely gained its name. the footpaths are less rutted Grazing is used to keep the grassland in More information about wildlife can be found on the and damaged, there is less shape and a combination of volunteers website. rubbish lying around and the and contractors manage the rest of the place is more attractive to site. We pay careful attention to the Enjoy your visit walkers. Now the focus is to plants and animals that depend on the The spectacular scenery and network of paths make improve the area for wildlife Nature Reserve, to determine the best Boxley Warren and its surrounds a great place to visit. by actively managing the ways to manage this special place. The To make the most of your visit please ensure that you woodland and maintaining Friends of Boxley Warren meet regularly keep to the public footpaths and byways and keep the chalk grassland. Fly tipping to carry out valuable work to conserve dogs under control. and enhance the site. friends ofboxley warrenleaflet finaldraft SEchanges.indd 2 White Horse Stone (Scheduled Ancient Boxley Warren Local Nature Reserve Pilgrims’ Way and North Downs Way Monument) 8 The North Downs Way is one of the National Trails and is The Monument was probably associated with a prehis- 6 a continuous route using public rights of way that links toric burial chamber, similarly to the other monuments Short and Hilly Walk (3 miles/5km) Woodland in Boxley Warren LNR Farnham in Surrey all the way to Dover. It roughly BO forming the chain of Medway Megaliths. Boxley was a Long and Hilly Walk (6 miles/9km) Other woodland follows the route of the Pilgrims’ Way that lies at the very important site in very early history. When the Short and Flat Walk (3 miles/5km) Scrub/scattered trees bottom of the scarp slope at Boxley. History tells us Channel Tunnel Rail Link was built, just to the West of 1 1 1 Numbered points in walks text Settlements/buildings that the Pilgrims’ Way was used by those who travelled Byway (no motorised vehicles) Steep gradient the Stone, a very significant Neolithic Longhouse was X between Canterbury and Winchester to worship at the also discovered - the earliest well-dated Neolithic struc- Byway Open to All Traffic shrines of Thomas Becket and St Swithin.